Ensilage-machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. 0. ATKINSON. ENSILAGE MACHINE.

No. 500,181. Patented June 27,1893.

m: scams Farms :0, PHOTO/LING, WASHINGI'ON, n. c.

2 t e e h S W e e h S 4 NR 0m w WA M TE G A .L M .N T E m d 0 M 0 WPatented June 27, 1893.

{N0 Modl.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. O. ATKINSON. ENSILAGE MACHINE.

No. 500,181. Patented June 27, 1893.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

NR 0m m .m M TE w .N JE

(No Model.)

No. 500,181. Patented Jfln e 27, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN O. ATKINSON, OF F REEPORT, ILLINOIS.

ENSlLAGE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,181, dated June 27,1893.

Application filed September 12, 1892. Serial No. 445.612. (No model.)

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN O. ATKINSON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inEnsilage-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting andpreparing ensilage for the silo, the object of the invention being toprovide a machine which shall cut standing fodder in the field, chop itinto small pieces suitable for packing in the silo and place it inwagons, whereby it may be transported from the field to the silo.

The invention is fully described and explained in this specification andshown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is atop plan ofamachine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal verticalsection of the machine, the view being in the direction indicated by thearrow at, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of two co-acting disks adaptedfor use in the chopping mechanism of the machine. Fig. 4 is a rearelevation of a part of the machine, the view being in the directionindicated by the arrow a, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of themachine, the View being in the direction indicated by the arrow 0.,Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the machine, the view being in thedirection indicated by the arrow a Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a centrallongitudinal section of the chopping mechanism of the machine; and Figs.8 and 9 are views of a modified form of chopping mechanism.

In the views, A is the bed of a reaper of ordinary construction and isprovided at its front edge with the ordinary finger bar and with theusual sickle for cutting standing grain, the sickle being operated inany known or suitable manner. On the front edge of the bed and at oneend thereof are rigidly secured two oblique braces B, B, Figs. 2, 5, andon the rear edge of the bed and at the same end thereof are rigidlyfastened oblique braces B B corresponding substantially in position tothe braces 13,13, and connected therewith by transverse bars in such away as to form a single rigid frame. A third oblique timber B lying inthe same plane as the braces B B at the rear edge of the bed, isconnected by transverse bars I), b, Fig. 5,with the brace B, at thefront edge of the bed, the timber B, being parallel to the brace B andseparated from it by a narrow space in the manner shown in Fig. 4. Inthe bed A, are journaled two transverse parallel rollers R, R,'Fig. 2,and about these rollers extends an endless apron 0, adapted to receivegrain cut by the machine in the manner well known in reaping machines.The grain, as it is cut, may be allowed to fall upon the apron (J,without assistance, or the machine may be supplied with the usual reeladapted to strike the grain and force it onto the apron. In the brace B,and the timber 13 connected with it, as above set forth, are j ournaledtwo rollers R R Fig. 2, and about these rollers extends an endlesscarrier C; and in the braces B B and the bed of the machine arejournaled two parallel rollers R R about which extends an endlesscarrier 0 parallel to the carrier 0, and separated from it by a spacesufficient for the upward passage of grain delivered to the carriersfrom the horizontal apron C. It is evident that if the apron O, and thecarriers 0', 0 be so operated that their folds shall move in thedirections indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, grain falling upon theapron must be carried up between the carriers and delivered at the topof the frame of the machine.

From the foregoing description of the support of the upper carrier 0, itis evident that there is a clear space between the carriers at the rearedge of the machine, and that grain falling upon the apron may becarried up between the carriers even though its length be greater thanthe width of the carriers, the surplus length of the grain being allowedto project beyond the rear edge of the machine. This is important forthe reason that grain cut for ensilage is generally corn, and isfrequently of a height greater than the width of the carriers.

The rollers R, R, R R R R are pro-. vided with shafts indicatedrespectively by the letters S, S, S S S S journaled in the various partsthat support the rollers, some of the shafts being extended throughtheir supports and provided with means for their operation in the mannerhereinafter set forth.

IOC

The end of the frame of the machine, which supports the carriers 0, C isitself supported by a ground wheel W, the opposite end of the framebeing supported by a smaller and lighter wheel W. The wheel W, isprovided with a geared ring w, Fig. 6, which engages a pinion on theinner end of a shaft 5, Fig. 2, parallel with the axis of the wheel, theouter end of said shaft being provided with a beveled gear g, whichengagesa second beveled gear g, mounted on a transverse shaft Sjournaled in suitable hearings on the end of the bed. The shaft S isrotated by the rotation of the ground wheel as it rolls along theground, and this shaft communicates motion to all the carrying mechanismthus far described. The gearing by which this is accomplished is shownin Fig. 5, s being a sprocket-wheel mounted on the driving shaft S ands, 3 being sprocket-wheels mounted respectively on the shafts S, 8,already mentioned. Another sprocket-wheel s is mounted on a shaft S,which serves to transmit motion to the reel of the machine, (not shown)and a chain X, of ordinary construction passes around the foursprocket-wheels s, s, s s", the rotation of the driving sprocket 8 beingsuch as to give to the chain the movementindicated by the arrows upon itin Fig. 5, and thus to give to the apron and the carriers 0', themovements indicated by the arrowsin Fig. 2. The chain may be tightenedby means of the tightening sprocket 8 shown in Fig. 5.

It is evident that by means of the mechanism thus far described, grainof any length may be out by the machine, dropped on the apron andelevated between the carriers 0', G

On the upper rear portion of the frame of the machine are secured twoopposite curved members Y, Y, Figs. 2, 4, 5, 6, and in these members arejournaled two shafts S S parallel to the shafts that support the endlesscarriers, and on these shafts are rigidly mounted co-acting disks D, D,so arranged that each disk on one shaft shall overlap and lie in contactwith the corresponding disk upon the other shaft with which it forms ashear. Between the disks D, D, on each shaft are plates E, E, Fig. 7,adapted to maintain the proper spacing between the disks, and all thedisks and interposed plates oneach shaft are rigidly fastened togetherin any desired manner, as for instance, by means of rods r, 1', Figs. 3,7, passing from end to end of each of the cutting cylinders thus formed.Rotation of the disks and plates upon each shaft may be prevented by anysuitable means, as for instance, by squaring those parts of the shaftson which the disks and plates are situated as shown in Fig. 3. The twoshafts S S are provided with engaging gearwheels in the manner shown inFig. 4, and the shaft S is provided with a sprocket-wheel .9 which isconnected by means of a chain X, with a sprocket wheel 5 on the drivingshaft S already mentioned. The sprocket-wheel 8 may be rigidly mountedon the shaft S butlprefer to mount it loosely thereon, and provide theirrotation after the rotation of the shaft 8, has ceased.

I have found it desirable to provide one of the shafts S S with abalance wheel as shown in Fig. 6, so that the momentum of the cuttingmechanism may insure an even and steady operation, and it wouldevidently be objectionable to stop the cutting cylinders suddenly withevery stoppage of the movement of the machine along the ground.

Near the upper ends of the carriers C, C is a feed-board F, Figs. 2, 4,and 5, extending downward and backward toward the lower choppingcylinder, and preferably provided with fingers extending between theedges of the disks D, of the lower cylinder to the peripheries of theplates E, these fingers being adapted to clear the spaces between theedges of the disks. A second transverse board F, Fig. 2 is supportednear the upper cylinder and is provided with fingers f, extendingbetween the edges of the disks thereon and adapted to clear these spacesbetween them. Grain falling upon the apron O, and brought upward betweenthe carriers 0, 0 drops upon the feed-board F, and passes downwardbetween the edges of the disks upon the shafts ,8 each stalk of grainbeing in a line parallel to the shafts of the disks and being thereforeat right angles to the disks themselves. The co-acting disks cut thegrain thus presented into short pieces, and these pieces pass betweenthe cylinders and are delivered at their outer or rear faces where theydrop downward. Any pieces of grain lodging between the disks areextracted by means of the fingers f, f, of the boards F, F, and are thusleft free to drop downward.

The delivery of the stalks of grain to the chopping disks in theposition and relation described, renders it possible to rotate the disksat a low rate of speed and still dispose of the grain as rapidly as itcan be cut from the ground. This is a very great advantage in a machineof this class in which the chopping mechanism must be supported upon acomparatively light frame and at aconsiderable distance above the bed ofthe machine and the wheels which carry it.

Beneath the cylinders lies the lower end of an elevator box G, having awidth substantially the same as the length of the cylinders, the upperend of the box being sup ported by a suitable brace extending to theframe of the machine and being at such a height as to extend over thebox of a wagon driven beside the machine. In the elevator box G, arejournaled two transverse shafts carrying sprocket-wheels s s", Fig. 2,and

on these sprocket-wheels are mounted two endless chains X Figs. 1 and 2.These chains are operated by means of a sprocketwheel 8 Fig. 4, engagingthe chain X, and having on its shaft a pinion engaging a second pinionmounted on the same shaft as the sprocket-wheel This gearing moves thesprocket-chains in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, themovement of the lower folds of the chains being upward. Transverse slatsfastened to the chains move with them, the slats on the lower folds ofthe two chains being adapted to rest upon the bottom of the elevator boxG, and to move upward and away from the cutting mechanism the dividedstalks dropped from the mechanism into the elevator box. The materialcarried upward by these slats is discharged from the upper end of theelevator into the wagon moving with the machine, and the wagon thusreceives the grain chopped at a single operation into pieces of suitablesize for delivery to the silo.

The machine thus described may evidently be modified in variousparticulars without changing the essential nature of my invention, and Idesire therefore not to limit the invention to the use of the specificforms described.

Modifications of one portion of the invention are shown in Figs. 3, 8,and 9, which illustrate different forms of mechanism adapted fordividing the stalks of grain into small pieces. In the form shown inFig. 2, the

disks are notched in the form common in circular saws. In the form shownin Fig. 3, the co-acting disks on the two cylinders are all circular. Inthe form shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the disks are circular, but only one ofthe shafts is provided with disks, the other being provided with asmooth cylinder preferably of wood against which the edges of the disksare pressed, the grain being passed between the edges of the disks andthe cylinder.

Having now described and explained my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a machine of the class described, the combination with a moving frameand a suitably operated sickle bar and sickle adapted to out standinggrain, of a moving endless apron adapted to receive stalks of grainfalling upon it in lines at right angles to the sickle and move themlaterally in a direction parallel to the sickle, two parallel shafts atright angles to the line of the sickle, means for rotating said shaftsin opposite directions, suitably spaced chopping disks mounted on one ofsaid shafts, co-acting disks mounted on the other shaft, and conveyingmechanism adapted to receive the stalks of grain from said endless apronand deliver it to said coacting disks in lines parallel to their shafts;substantially as shown and described.

JOHN O. ATKINSON.

Witnesses:

ROBT. H. WILEs, J. A. GRAIN.

